How to find my Ethernet Card MAC address?

MAC or Media Access Control is the other name for Ethernet Card Address. Ethernet was originally developed by Xerox then further developed by Xerox-DEC-Intel. Before the name was Alohanet. The name was taken from Palo Alto Research Center Aloha Network.

Ethernet was named by Robert Metcalfe. Maybe, Ethernet means carry data everywhere throughout the network.

MAC address is the true name for a computer in a LAN. It’s usually expressed with 12 digits hexadecimal number. (Example: 00:0d:88:b3:72:f3)

When you are connected to a LAN, your IP number will be translated to MAC address by a protocol called ARP (Address Resolution Protocol).

Let’s say, you use computer A with IP 192.168.0.2.

Computer B has an IP 192.168.0.3.

When you send a package to computer B, there are few steps run behind the scene. But these steps are based on LAN configurations. I’m sure that almost all LAN use star topology now.

The first generation of star topology use HUB to connect the all computers. Now, we use SWITCH.

Using HUBWhen computer A (192.168.0.2) sends a package to computer B (192.168.0.3), first it will send a broadcast message to all computers in that LAN. Same like, when send a package to Alan, in front of the door, you scream, ‘Hey, who is ALAN?’. If Alan is there, he will say, ‘I’m Alan’ then you deliver the package to him.

Using SWITCH
When computer A (192.168.0.2) sends a package to computer B (192.168.0.3), it will send directly to computer B. Because Switch has everybody’s MAC address in its memory. So, you don’t have to scream.

You see that IP 192.168.0.199 is only used for MAC 00:0d:88:b3:72:f3. Mean, it won’t work if somebody try to use this IP address with another PC. Off course it’s very easy to hack because in Linux you can change your MAC address easily. If you know, :).